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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24703921">My Head’s Flying Round and Round</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mo_kat/pseuds/mo_kat'>mo_kat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, idk this just has lots of different feels, some angst snuck in there though, still has lots of crack</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:07:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,500</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24703921</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mo_kat/pseuds/mo_kat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>With everything that had been going on after Miracle Queen, Marinette finally decided that it was time for her and Chat to lose their masks and reveal their identities to each other.</p><p>Things were not going the way she planned.</p><p>(Where Adrien and Chat Noir's hairstyles look too different for Marinette to accept)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>179</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug and Cat/Chat Noir Reveal</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>My Head’s Flying Round and Round</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilieee/gifts">emilieee</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It's been Actual Years since I've written fic but ML finally pushed me into it and more specifically, <a href="https://e-milieeee.tumblr.com/post/620101685595996160/e-milieeee-e-milieeee-im-looking-at-adrien-and">this post</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilieee">emilieee</a>. I couldn't stop thinking about this scenario, except it was much more cracky in my head lmao </p><p>I cannot thank <a href="%E2%80%9C">j_majka</a> enough for reading over this fic and especially my friend Ouwe for just listening to me and my rants about this and helping me even though she wasn’t even in this fandom. It took me a while, but I would've been too chicken to post this without them</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a beautiful night outside. The moon was shining, crickets were chirping, people were sleeping, and if Marinette didn’t stop pacing she’d eventually wear a hole through the roof and fall into the apartment below and it wouldn’t matter that she was Ladybug because she’d have to pay for the damages anyway and that would probably make her parents go bankrupt and then they’d have to sell the bakery and then move away from Paris in shame and then she’d never see her friends—</p><p>
  <em> Ahem. </em>
</p><p>It was a beautiful night outside and Marinette had decided that it was finally time for her and Chat Noir to reveal their identities to each other. It was much sooner than she’d like; Hawkmoth was still at large and every lead she and Chat had followed so far had led to a dead end—a wild butterfly chase according to Chat—and it had her pulling at her pigtails in frustration.</p><p>But they had no other choice. Now that they had an advantage, Hawkmoth and Mayura attacked every chance they could; and not only were the akuma becoming more dangerous, but they were also now accompanied by a bonus sentimonster almost every time. Her and Chat’s teamwork may be impeccable but even though they combined miraculouses more often, they were still only two people and without their backup heroes, it took them longer and longer to stop each attack.</p><p>It wasn’t just the akumas that were the problem either. Balancing her duties as Marinette and as Ladybug used to be hard enough but now it felt like a juggling act on top of a tightrope, and she was terrible at both. Her brain was stuffed so full of doubts and insecurities that her brain felt as fragile as an egg—and the cracks were showing. Her grades were going down the drain, much to the disappointment of Mlle. Bustier and her parents. When she wasn’t given extra assignments to make up for her absences, she was grounded to her room by her parents in hopes that the extra time would help salvage her grades—she barely got to hang out with Alya and her friends uninterrupted as it was. </p><p>To make matters worse, she was doing it all alone and had to keep dodging questions about what was wrong because she couldn’t tell anyone about her problems, not without revealing her secret. She couldn’t distract herself with romance either! Luka was incredibly sweet and the few dates they’d had together had been really nice, but she couldn’t give him her all, not when she already had so much going on and he didn’t deserve that. And while Adrien and Kagami had amicably broken up after a few weeks, she had already been determined to give up her pursuit of Adrien; her experience with Luka proved that she couldn’t handle a relationship at the moment (even though his smile still made her traitorous heart leap). </p><p>So she was stuck navigating through her troubles with barely any help and if it wasn’t for Chat, she was sure she’d have drowned under the pressure. The Hawkmoth dartboard she’d hung up on her wall did help alleviate her stress a little but there was only so much more she could take. It all culminated last week with the most vicious attack they’d had yet. It took them three hours to beat and Marinette immediately burst into tears as soon as she detransformed back in her room, much to Tikki’s alarm.</p><p>In the end, it was Tikki who hesitantly broached the idea, with Wayzz supporting it. Marinette shot it down at first, unwilling to risk it so soon after the loss of Master Fu, but after many, many, hushed late-night arguments between guardian and kwamis, she eventually gave in.</p><p>Which led to her here, waiting on a secluded rooftop for Chat Noir to arrive. It was rare that she was left waiting for him like this. Chat was usually the first one at their meeting spot whenever they had joint patrol, ready to greet her with a cheery smile and a gentle kiss to her knuckles (at least, he used to; he’d stopped after mentioning he was seeing someone else and that deviation from their routine hurt her more than she liked). She kept her grip tight on her yoyo, resisting the urge to track her partner or to call and demand that he arrive sooner; it wasn’t his fault that she felt too anxious to wait in her room or that it felt like ants were crawling around under her skin and keeping her from sitting still.</p><p>Her feet barely made a whisper on the slates as she continued to pace around in tightening circles. Maybe she should’ve told him why they were meeting tonight? She had been intentionally vague when she told him that it was important, but could anyone blame her? This was her identity that she was revealing, the biggest secret she’d kept from Chat! Just knowing it would put both of them and their families in danger! While Chat tilted his head adorably in confusion, he promised to be there like she knew he would and that was enough. Yes, she nodded her head decisively, it was enough. </p><p>She still wished that she’s at least given him a hint because he was sure to hurry, practically bouncing in excitement if he knew and—</p><p><em> What if he doesn’t want to know my identity anymore? </em> The thought sent a chill down Marinette’s back and she froze in her tracks. Chat was always eager to share their identities, confident that he’d love the girl behind her mask and that they’d fight even better together, but that was when he was still in love with her. He’d moved on from her now; he didn’t even call her his lady anymore and that stung so much more than she ever expected it to. Would he even want to know her name now? </p><p>She shook her head to dispel those thoughts. It was a stupid worry; she knew that even though he wasn’t in love with her anymore, even though she wasn’t his lady anymore, he still loved and cared for her as a partner. If anything, he’d probably trip over his tail in excitement like that one time she brought some leftover macarons to patrol. That had been a memorable night: he almost cracked his head against a pipe, looking remarkably like an overgrown kitten from those viral videos, and Marinette nearly lost half the macarons as she doubled over in laughter. The memory elicited a burst of giggles out of her that eventually trailed off into a sigh. That silly kitty— </p><p>“That must’ve been a <em> hiss</em>-terical joke to have you laughing like that Buginette, care to share it with a humble gentle-cat?”</p><p>Marinette jumped nearly a metre into the air in fright when the voice broke through her reverie. Clutching at her racing heart, she whirled around to see a pair of luminous green eyes staring at her mirthfully from where their owner perched gracefully from atop a chimney. Familiar green eyes that she’d been waiting for.</p><p>“You stupid cat, you scared me half to death! How long have you been here?” she whisper-yelled at him, masking her embarrassment with a glare. Her stupid cheeks must’ve stolen all the heat from her look though, much to her chagrin, because he didn’t seem chastised in the slightest. His form solidified as he emerged from the darkness, hopping down to join her. The moonlight illuminated his typical nest of hair along with the cat ears on top and the unrepentant grin he sent her with those stupidly cute kitty fangs of his had her twitching.</p><p>“A-<em>paw</em>-logies Ladybug, I didn’t mean to be so <em>hair-raising </em> but you were so lost in thought that I couldn’t bear to <em>bug </em> you,” he drawled. Marinette pursed her lips tightly to keep her amusement from showing but he still caught it, leaning forward in delight. “Is that a smile? Ladybug, did you think that was a-<em>meow</em>-sing?”</p><p>“That was terrible, you get zero points for creativity,” she told him, lips twitching unwillingly.</p><p>“You mean terribly funny, admit it!” </p><p>“Not on your nine lives, you need a refund on that joke book of yours,” she laughed as she sat down. He gave her an exaggerated pout in response that had her stifling chuckles but he followed suit, chuckling as he did so. </p><p>Chat’s mirth didn’t last long though and he looked up at her, ears pricked up curiously. “So what was it that you wanted to talk about Ladybug? You sounded really serious last night, is something wrong?”</p><p>His question shattered the tranquility that had fallen on her. For a moment, she forgot that this wasn’t a normal patrol and that they weren’t just there for each other’s company—her kitty was really good at that—but Marinette was reminded that they were there for a reason and it sent a jolt of anxiety through her.</p><p>“N-nothing’s wrong Chat,” she stuttered past the lump now lodged in her throat. He waited for her to continue, brows furrowing in concern under his mask and suddenly Marinette found it hard to look at him directly in the eyes. Her heart, which had calmed down during their banter, was doing its best imitation of a jackhammer and she could feel phantom crawling all over her arms again. She absently rubbed her arms, shoulders hunched. “I-I mean, everything’s just as good as usual you know? Hawkmoth and Mayura are still out there and still dangerous and we’re still winning against them but it’s taking so long and maybe people are getting frustrated with that and maybe they’ll blame us and take—”</p><p>“Breathe, Ladybug,” Chat interrupted her mid-ramble, gripping her shoulders. “It’s okay, just take it slow, I’m not going anywhere.”</p><p>Under his steady gaze and his firm yet gentle hands, Marinette felt more solid, like all her overextended thoughts and emotions were slowly pulled back into herself. They were still there, simmering just under her skin, but she felt like human again and not a vaguely Ladybug-shaped storm of anxieties.</p><p>“I’m sorry Chaton,” she finally sighed. “It’s just that we’ve been fighting Hawkmoth for so long and it feels like we’re no closer to finding him and Mayura than when we first started. The fights keep getting harder and we can’t use our backup heroes anymore. And I’m so tired,” she admitted miserably, looking at her hands folded in her lap. Tears pricked at her eyes and she scrubbed at them roughly to keep them at bay. “I barely function in classes anymore, and I’ve had to ditch them and my friends so many times, they’re freaking out and keep asking me what’s wrong. But I can’t tell them or anyone else what’s going, and I feel so alone.” </p><p>Chat didn’t say anything and for one silly moment, Marinette wished she could swallow back her words and pretend like nothing happened. Then his hands moved to her back and she found herself crushed against his warm chest as he wordlessly offered her the comfort and sympathy she desperately needed. Her eyes closed and her arms curled up around his neck just as tightly as she clung onto his anchoring presence. For the first time in what felt like weeks, she felt more present and not like she was a wink away from washing away in the currents of her own mind and she almost sobbed relief.</p><p>It felt like hours had passed by the time they pulled away from each other, which couldn’t be right because the moon was still high up, blanketing everything with its soft silvery glow. Marinette barely paid it any mind, all her attention focused on Chat.</p><p>“I know that we’ve got identities to protect, but you know you can talk to me, right? You’re not alone Ladybug, that’s what <em> paw</em>-tners are for,” he said, squeezing her shoulders reassuringly. There was a hint of a smirk on his lips but his eyes were gentle and Marinette could only return the smile shakily.</p><p>“I know Chat, us against the world, right?” she echoed his words from Miracle Queen’s attack. “I couldn’t ask for a better gentle-cat to have as a partner.” And she meant it: he really was the best partner she could ask for. He was already the best but after the disaster that nearly led to Hawkmoth’s win, he really stepped up, becoming even more attentive and taking the lead on attacks more often than he used to. It was such a weight off her back, knowing that her partner had seen her failures and yet continued to support her, that he was always there to pick up the slack and keep her going whenever she faltered.</p><p>He was right though; if there was anyone she could talk to, it was him. And wasn’t that why they were here in the first place? She sat up straight—maybe that’ll attract and keep some of her fleeting courage like a magnet or something—to look at him directly. “And about our identities, that’s what I wanted to talk about,” she finally admitted. Even if she put it off for longer, it wasn’t like she’d magically gain enough grace to run away and join a circus in case things go wrong; it was better to rip off the bandage now. “I’ve talked to Tikki and some of the other kwamis, but we think now’s the time to,” she had to pause to swallow her nerves. “Time to, um, reveal our identities.”</p><p>Marinette braced herself for Chat’s reaction. But whatever it was that he was expecting, it clearly wasn’t that because she was graced with a sight so rare that in other circumstances she’d have used her yoyo to take a picture: Chat stunned speechless, staring at her with bulging eyes and mouth agape. The sight triggered a fit of giggles and the sound shook him out of his shock. </p><p>“Are you serious, Ladybug? Are you sure?” His eyes were shining and his tail was lashing about, completely failing to hide his emotions—but his expression was uncharacteristically serious. “I’d be so happy, but you really don’t have to if you don’t want my lady.” </p><p>The endearment slipped out seemingly without him noticing, but it had been so long since she heard it that Marinette noticed its return immediately. Between that and his consideration, she couldn’t quell the sudden swell of affection in her chest. “Yes,” she assured him, and Marinette really meant it. “Our identities are only holding us back now, and who knows how much harder things will get,” she said, repeating Tikki’s sentiment that she’d been arguing against just two days ago. “And I still want some semblance of a normal life after all this is over, you know,” she added with a wry smile.</p><p>Chat nodded his head vigorously, a wide grin overtaking his face. “I agree, yes!” He couldn’t seem to contain himself, practically buzzing (or was he purring?) in delight. “Do we do it here? now?”</p><p>Buoyed by his excitement, she nodded in agreement. “Let’s just close our eyes and detransform. We’ll see how it goes from there.”</p><p>They sat down facing each other with their eyes shut. In contrast with the humming of the city at night, the air between them was quiet. This was it, Marinette knew. Things would change forever between them after tonight but it was too late to back down. She took a deep breath and heard Chat do the same.</p><p>“Spots off.”</p><p>“Claws in.”</p><p>She felt her suit dissolve with a crackle of magic and Tikki’s small weight settled on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek in comfort. Without the protection of her suit, she could feel the cold night breeze starkly on her skin, and she shivered involuntarily. All she could think about was how the boy underneath the mask was sitting in front of her—just as vulnerable as she was right now—and despite wearing what she’d had on to school today, Marinette never felt any more naked. The air between them was practically crackling with tension and anticipation.</p><p>“Let’s open our eyes at the count of three?” she heard Chat ask quietly. Without the mask, Chat’s voice was strange, recognizably <em> Chat </em> yet soft in a way that she rarely witnessed. Marinette made an affirmative noise, mouth too dry to form any words, and listened as he counted.</p><p>At three, Marinette opened her eyes and met Chat’s bright green ones, <em> familiar </em> green ones. It was the one face she knew almost better than her own and the floor dropped away from beneath her.</p><p>“<em> A-Adrien????? </em>”</p><p>Adrien Agreste was sitting in front of her, his surprised expression quickly shifting into a delighted smile bright enough to replace the sun—was this dizziness that she was feeling indirect sunstroke? Or was the world itself spinning?—as he stood up. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng? You’re Ladybug?” He shook his head, laughing. “What am I saying, of course you’re Ladybug! Who else could it have been?”</p><p>Marinette leapt to her feet quickly. “N-no way,” she stuttered as she shuffled back, almost tripping over her feet. Because there was <em> no way </em>. Adrien couldn’t be Chat, she wasn’t that lucky and besides, they were nothing like each other!</p><p>Adrien’s brows furrowed in confusion and he shared a look with black kwami—a kwami who could only be Plagg—floating beside him. “Marinette, are you okay?”</p><p>He sounded so earnest and worried, it was too much. “Nope!” she whimpered. “This is a joke, isn’t it? This isn’t real!”</p><p>Plagg, who had miraculously stayed silent until now, cackled. “She’s lost it! Adrien, you finally broke her!”</p><p>Tikki rose up indignantly in her defense. “She’s fine! She’s just... under a lot of stress right now,” she tried valiantly, but her attempt was undercut by the concerned looks she gave Marinette.</p><p>Adrien didn’t pay the kwamis any mind, slowly approaching her with his hands up like she was a spooked animal. “I know this must be a shock, but I <em> paw </em>-mise this isn’t a joke,” he tried to reassure her, but that incredibly Chat-like joke said in Adrien’s voice only made her more disoriented.</p><p>“You’re lying,” she denied, shaking her head. “You and Chat don’t even look alike!” </p><p>Her statement pulled even the arguing kwamis up short and all three of them stared at her like they were questioning her sanity. That wasn’t even fair, a small indignant part of her argued; if anything she should be the one to give them that look for trying to pull this prank on her!</p><p>“Marinette, Adrien and Chat really do look alike,” Tikki spoke up, being the first to recover from her shock. Marinette refused to hear it though. </p><p>“No, they don’t,” she insisted. “Haven’t you seen them? Their hair doesn’t match!”</p><p>Her only response was incredulous silence. Refusing to back down, she marched in front of Adrien, ignoring his surprised yelp as she pulled his head down and roughly mussed his hair out of its normally tidy style. </p><p>“See?” she tried to say, only to choke on her words. Because even with her hand buried in his hair, Adrien stared at her with incredulous awe through his now-messy bangs, and the sight made something go click in her mind.</p><p>Oh.</p><p>
  <em> Oh. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Oh no. </em>
</p><p>A wheezing screech escaped Marinette’s throat as she stared at Chat-Adrien with wide, horrified eyes. Plagg burst into cackles and even Tikki, the traitor, was giggling as Marinette buried her burning face into her hands with another choked off screech. Only Adrien wasn’t laughing, instead he was gently trying to pull her hands away but she kept them glued on because his face was the last thing she wanted to see. Forget leaving Paris, she’d have to leave France! Maybe move to Belgium, they spoke French there, right? She could run away and start over with a fresh identity and forget this <em> ever </em> happened.</p><p>Oblivious to her internal plotting, Adrien finally gave up on pulling her hands away and instead gripped her shoulders in a way that was so Chat <em>and </em> Adrien that her mind almost spiraled again.</p><p>“Is finding out that I’m Chat Noir so bad?” he asked. He said it jokingly, but Marinette—as attuned to Chat as she was—instantly zeroed in on the undercurrent of uncertainty beneath his humour and her instincts immediately pushed her to Protect the Kitty. Despite feeling like her face might combust, she looked up to give him the sternest look she could, a Cheng Special™. </p><p>“No! I’m just, I’m so embarrassed,” she trailed off, hiding her face again. She was too mortified to meet his eyes. “Just send me to Belgium and let me be,” she whined.</p><p>Adrien only laughed. Gently, he tilted her head up to meet her gaze and gave her one of Chat’s charmingly crooked smiles. “After waiting so long for this? Not a chance, Buginette.”</p>
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